The Blade Runner to race in Australia

By John Salvado

MELBOURNE: South African double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius will be the star attraction of the Australian athletics tour.

Pistorius, dubbed the Blade Runner, will race in Australia for the first time at the Sydney Track Classic on March 9 and again in Perth seven days later.

Australia bound ... Oscar Pistorius in the 400m heats at the Olympic Games in London.

Photo: AFP

It's a major coup for Athletics Australia (AA), coming a week after reigning Olympic and world 100m hurdles champion Sally Pearson confirmed she would have to skip the bulk of the domestic series due to an ongoing back problem.

Pistorius is a six-time Paralympic champion and was a member of the South African squad that claimed the silver medal in the 4x400m relay at the 2011 world titles.

He made his Olympic debut in London earlier this year, advancing to the semi-finals of the individual 400m and carrying the South African flag at the closing ceremony.

Advertisement

He could clash with rising Australian 400m star and London Olympic finalist Steve Solomon in Sydney and Perth.

"The 4x400m team from Australia has always been strong so I know there will be strong competition at both meets," the 26-year-old Pistorius said in a statement.

"The rise of Steve Solomon to the Olympic final was astounding too, so fingers crossed I will see him on the start lists when I am out there.

"Between all of us, I hope we can put on a bit of a show for the fans.

"I plan to be in pretty solid form when I arrive and it would be great to start my season in style at the meet.

"Australia and South Africa are a bit unique in that our seasons domestically fall outside those in Europe or North America.

"It can be hard to track down strong competition so early in the year so, when I got this opportunity from Athletics Australia, I was pretty excited."

AA also announced on Monday that Qantas had extended its naming rights sponsorship of the Australian athletics tour.